Hello, Mr. Washington...

A recent headline read: 75 Percent of Oklahoma High School Students Can't Name the First President of the U.S.

Sometimes, I read things and have a serious reaction... other times, I crack wise... today: BOTH!

Sarcastic Response: Yes, but it's Oklahoma. Why should this come as a surprse to anyone?

Serious Response: Teaching for the test. Strict obedience to the curriculum. Now, we see the results.

Listen, I'm not saying GW (that's Washington, not Bush) isn't on any test or isn't part of any curriculum. What I'm saying is that kids are smart enough to know that they're being fed knowledge the same way they're being fed fast food: for quick processing. What goes in this week is tested on next week and then forgotten. No context is provided about how this applies to their lives because, for the most part, we've ceased to care about their lives. Children are products to serve the machine of industry - we want them to have a good job, stay off the streets, and forget about them. After all, what knowledge do you remember best? Knowledge you cared about! I think if we cared about how they received and processed this knowledge, we'd cease to see results like this.

Oh, and feel sorry for the nerdy other 25%... which is 3 against 1 for all of you educated in Oklahoma...

Crime and Punishment…

The older I get the more I see a scary by-product of age. One by one, I notice my friends turn into bitter, hateful old men and women… especially when it comes to the issue of crime. I hear them talk about draconian measures, death penalties for children, and even with no sense of irony cutting hands off of thieves. I feel like saying “How very Muslim of you” though they probably wouldn’t get it.

It concerns me because I hate to see my generation gobbled up so obediently by the previous one, taught to believe all the falsehoods that they themselves chose to believe. This leaves the hope in the hands of the next generation but it is too often an empty one, as I see them misunderstanding so much as well.

After all, what’s the point of our justice system? Is it to help bring people back to a point of understanding, so that they don’t repeat the same mistakes they once made? Because if that’s the case, death penalties for children and the forcible removing of hands is going the wrong way. On the other hand, take or leave the pun as you will, if the point is to eliminate those who offend us, then we should all form a line and get ready for a bullet to the head.

Laws are not established in order to provide us entertainment, so we can watch our government murder and maim. A more perfect society is not formed when we greet misdeeds with hate. The fact that nobody is perfect too often eludes even the best of us and it is the expectation that everyone should always be at their best that shows our petty, small selves and creates a society that is no more than a reflection of what we make of it.

Another Great Special Comment...

Because I don't have the time to research things as well, I give you Mr. Olbermann...

Lest we forget what the other side of the face looks like...

My favorite headline about tonight's speech: Republicans Heckle Obama for Providing Health Care, but Cheer Bush for Making War.

Indeed.

Getting sick of both faces...

Every time I see some idiot Republican introduced as an “expert on health care reform” on the news, I can hear insurance companies laughing somewhere, writing out a check…